Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-08-19

Life on the Farm.
The following contribution to the Rural
Vermonter, by Mrs G.. A. Boyd of VIII
mington, shows an appreciation Of certain
phases Of farm life that we believe is
shared by more farmers and their families
than the writer seems TO suppose 1t is the
love of nature and the ethical side of life
on the farm, more than matter of dollars,
that decides hundreds Of refined and intel
ligent men and women in their preference
for farm life:
at is often thought and said that there
is no life so monotonous and unattractive
as farm life. Yet | think there is no more
erroneous idea than this for what other
calling is there that offers greater oppor-
tunties for the expanding of all that is
higher and nobler in man, surrounded by
ali the beauties of nature, breathing the
pure air of heaven, which not only strength
ems and invigorates the body, but also ele-
Yates and purifies all the moral and intel
lectual powers 1t seems to me that, if we
only try to develop and bring out to their
highest possible attainment all our latent en-
ergies of mind and body, and strive to infuse
into our work spirit of cheerfulness and
life, we shall become living testimonials of
the health-giving, soul-expanding life OF
the farm, when it is compared with that of
our professional neighbors, whom we often
look upon with eyes of envy, little dream
ing that we are freer far than they, from
a thousand perplexing complications, which
they are racklng body and mind to devise
some method to unsnarl.
81 would not attempt to say that farm
life has no Inconvenience and perplexities.
There are many But the freedom of our
mountain air and sunshine help wonderful
ly to drive the cobwebs from the brain, and
tighten our burdens and cares. The trouble
with most of is, we hurry and stumble
through life with eyes shut to the beauty
the good God has, with so lavish hand,
surrounded us with, and only permit the
harshly practical to come into our vision,
taking enjoyment only in the vista that is
strewn with, or ends with-dollars To
most of us the clear sky and the shining
sun simply mean good hay day : but is
this all Has the blue of heaven, or the
varied emerald hue of earth, no picture for
us With many, the ground is simply white
in winter and green in summer But is
the foliage of field and tree alike Look
off upon the wood lot in the distance it
means more than fuel, lumber and fence
posts The lighter shade of green in the
beeches and naples, backed by the darker
hue of the iir-trees, forms a picture pleas
ing to the eye.
People living upon our western prairieS
know nothing of this And who of us
would exchange our varied landscape of
field and forest hill and ledge, valley and
stream, for the tree-less, stream-less dead
flats of much of the West, where the sun
simply rises in grass and sets in grass |
tell you, we of New England have some
thing to be proud of, if we will but open
our eyes to it. When looking upon our
waving fields of grass and grain, let us try
to see something more than hay and horse
feed in them In that field of blooming
timothy, clover and buttercups, is present
ed "A rare MOSAIC such as mind and hand
of man or woman could never have arrang-
ed. And that winding, sivery stream be
yond the meadow - don't look upon it,
brother farmers, as simply handy place
for the cows to drink Why, it is "A thread
of silver woven into the green mantle of
earth Let the cows drink there all they
want, and wash the sheep there, too, if you
will this need not hinder our souls drink
ing in its beauty, and its contemplation
may wash much from our lives that is sci
fish and unworthy.
"'Our lives are songs: God writes the words
And We set them to music at pleasure
And the song grows glad, or sweet, or sad,
As we choose to fashion the measure.
We must write the music whatever the song
Whatever the rhyme or meter;
And if it be sad, we can make it glad,
Or If sweet, we can make il sweeter.
Most of us, as we near or pass the merid
ian of life, leave the poetry and hope OF
youth far behind us Is this wise Why
shouldn't we keep our hearts and souls al
.f fp,s
and the continuous labor requisite to sue
cess in our calling, do much to stamp out
the poetical, but we may remedy tins much
if we will. One great trouble with us is
we do not stop often enough for a littl,
needed rest and social recreation; we d,
not read enough. A farmer cannot keel
abreast of the times today, unless he read
some live agricultural paper. Other mel
of business think it pays to read and keel
informed in their various branches VIII,
should not the farmer keep informed in hi
vocation and in the doings of others in tn
same occupation
THE proverb, knowledge is power
as true in farming as elsewhere and moth
ing will more surely tend to keep our boy
and girls on the farms, and make farmer
of farmers sons than live intelligence il
the calling of their fathers. Farming ha
always been and still is the principal bust
ness of our country, and the young peopl
should be brought up to know this fact ant
to realize that in their young, active brai
and muscle is conferred the great hope @
the future success and prosperity of thi
leading industry. There are many ways t
stimulate their interest in farm life, Fin
out what department of the farm they Xix
best, and let them have something in thi
branch that they may call their own. Abov
all, don't let them grow up with the ide
that, when whatever they have becomes sa
able, father will sell it and take the money
We are too much creatures of habit and al
very prone, by close confinement to tn
everyday routine Of farm life, to get int
ruts that are hard to turn out of. Then IL
us take time to rest, to read and to think
more than all, let the eyes feast upon I'll
beauties of God and nature that are owe
and around us and we shall find it will d
much toward forming in ourselves a Low
of life on the farm.
Lets oftener talk of nohler deeds
And rarer Of our had ones,
And sing about our happy days,
And not about our sad ones
We were not made TO fret and sigh,
Or when grief sleeps To wake ii;
Bright happiness is standing by
This life is what We make it,